Caging apparatus



April 8, 1924. 1,489,772-

' D. F. LEPLEY meme APPARATUS Filed :51. 1.922 a "Sheets-Sheet 1 April 8, 1924. 1,489,772

D. F. LEPLEY gwwmloz 611 1 01 new April 8, 1924. 1,489,772

Y D. F. LEPLEY shame APPARATUS Filed g- :51. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 8, 1.224.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY, F CONNELZLSVZLLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAGING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 31, 1922. Serial No. 585,539.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL Lerner, a citizen of the United States, residing at Connellsville, in the county of Fayette and State 0t Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Caging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism tor caging cars and is designed primarily for use in connection with self dumping and overturning cages.

l-leretofore it has been the practice to provide front and back horns adapted to move to position in front of the front wheels and back 01" the rear wheels respectively of a car on the cage, but as the horns have moved simultaneously into or out of engaging positions there have been times when the front wheels of a car being caged have passed the front horns before the rear horns have been released sufficiently to enable the front horns to move to retaining positions. This defect has resulted in trouble.

It is an object of the present invention to so mount and actuate the holding horns that the front horns will be shifted before the rear horns are moved, thus to be brought into position to stop the advancing car positively, the rear horns being brought to holding position at the proper time to prevent the car from rebounding from the cage.

Another object is to provide horns which will be automatically shifted to releasing position when the cage is brought to tae point of car delivery, the movement of the horns being simultaneous.

A. further object is to provide means whereby the mechanism of the casing apparatus is reset automatically when the car leaves the cage.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment oi the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawingsa Figure 1 is a section through the apparatus constituting the present invention. '4

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is an end elevation.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the platform portion of cage provided with rails 2 for receiving cars to be hoisted and dumped. Mounted adjacent each of the rails so as to swin laterally relative thereto, is a front horh 3 and a rear horn 4, these horns being formed with wheel receiving recesses 5 spaced apart a sufiicient distance to allow the supporting wheels of a car to stand between the horns and to be held thereby to the rails when the horns are in holding positions. Each horn is supported by a longitudinal shaft 5 provided at one end with a crank arm 6 and the crank arms of the horns a are connected by links 7 to a lever 8 mounted, at its center, upon a longitudinal shaft 9 so as to turn therewith. The crank arms 6 of the horns 3 are similarly connected by links and a lever and the levers 8 at the two ends of the cage have arms 10 extending at angles therefrom engaged by a spring pressed rod 11 whereby the horns are held normally pressed against the rails 2 and into position for engaging and retaining the wheels of a car thereon.

@ne of the shafts 9 is extended toward one end of the platform 1 while the other shat-t 9 is extended toward the other end of the platform and extending from the outer end of each of these shafts is a crank 12.

Arranged in the path of the two cranks 12 are tripping fingers 13 each secured to a shaft 14 journaled in suitable bearings 15 and there being a weighted arm 16 for holding the tripping fingers normally in the paths of the cranks 12.

Each shaft 14 is also provided with a releasing finger 17.

Extending downwardly from the platform 1 adjacent each end thereof is a guide 18 and slidably mounted within each guide is a push rod 19 provided, at its outer or free end with a laterally extending finger 20. The inner end of one push rod is connected. to the downwardly extending arm 21 of a bell crank 22 fulcrumed on the platform 1. This bell crank has an upper arm 23 normally extending at an incline above and close to one of the rails 2 and between the horns 3 and 4c adjacent said rail. The other red 19 is connected to one arm of a bell crank 24 the other arm of which engages and supports a cam 25 pivotally close to the other and to the horn d mounted on platform 1 rail on the platform adjacent said rail.

When the is raised out of its lower or car delivering position the weighted arms 16 hold the fingers 13 and 1'? in upstanding positions, the fingers 13 being in the path of and below the cranks 12 while the lingers 17 are below and in the path of the tree ends of the push rods 19. Thus when the platform comes to its lowermost position the rods 19 will be supported on the upper ends of fingers 17 and within the upper portions of the guides 13 while the cranks 12 will come down on and be rotated by the fingers 1. It is assumed of course that during this douurward movement of the platform a ca is positioned with its wheels between horns 3 and 1 and resting on and holding down arm 23 d cam 25. Sbviously as soon as the or {S 12 are rotated by coming against the fingers 13 the horns 3 and l: will be swung laterally thereby and against the action or the sp-i ng pressed rod 11. Thus the car held between the horns will be released and when moving off the platform will release the cam and the arm Counterweights 26 and 27 are connected to the bell cranks 22 and 2 1 respectively so that soon as these bell cranks are released from t 1e weight of the car they will move upward. y to their normal positions snown in Figure 1 and thus withdraw the free ends of rods 19 from their positions on the tops of fingers 17. Consequently the free ends of the rods will drop to the lower portions of the guides 18 and in position to thrust against lingers 17. Horns 3 and 4: will be maatained in their lateral or releasing positions as long as the cranks 12 rest on 13. A car enter ing the cage from the left in Figure 1 will have its front wheels first pass between the horns 1 after which one 01 the front wheels will engage and depress the cam thus to actuate bell crank 24-. This will cause the rod 19 connected to hell crank 24 to shift longitudinally against its finger 17 and rotate finger 13 out of position under crank 12. Horns 3 will thus be released and the spring pressed rod 11 throw them inwardly automatically against the sides of the rails 2 and in position to stop the front wheels of the car when brought thereagainst. During the further movement of the car toward the horns 3and subsequent to the actuation of the cam 25 the other front wheel of the car w ll come against and depress the arm 23 of bell crank 22. This will cause the rod 19 of said bell cranlr to thrust against its finger 1'? and thus withdraw finger 13 from beneath the crank arm 12 resting thereon. Consequently the rear horns 1 will be thrown toward each other by the spring pressed rod 11 controlling them. These essors horns will first come against the sides of the rear wheels which will slip forward between the horns until said rear horns are free of the wheels whereupon they will continue their inward movement and assume retaining positions-back of the rear wheels.

The cage can now move upwardly, carrying its caged load and as soon as it passes above the fingers 13 and 17 the weighted arms 16 will r store said fingers to their normal position so that when the platform is returned to the bottom level or point of starting the operation already described will be repeated.

@briously by providing mechanism such as described the release of the front horns in advance of the rear horns is assured and there is thus no danger of a car getting past the horns before they are released.

As shown in Figure 1 each front horn can be provided with a resilient bumper or cushion for reducing the shock caused by the abruptstopping of the loaded car directed onto the cage platform. This bumper can consist of a slide 28 mounted within su able guides 29 in the horn and held nor mally against movement by springs 30.

llhat is claimed is aination with the platform 0i"; a cage. and front and rear horns movably mp ricd '=';liereby of means in the path of car releasing positions and sepainde ien tly operated means on the e tor actuation by a car moving in one on along the cage platform for sucly releac' .5 the front horns and the ar hons to car wheel engaging positions.

l y ly tuated by a car moving in one direction 7 along the platform in one direction for successively releasing the front horns and the rear horns from their holdin means. and means for automatically shifting the horns to ar engaging positions as soon as released.

4. The combination with a cage platform and front and rear horns movably mounted ior automatically shifting the thereon, of separate tripping means in the path of the platform, separate means carried by the platform and movable against the respective tripping means for shifting the front and rear horns respectively out of car enga n positions, and separate means on the platform and separately operated by a car movinp' in one direction upon the platform, for independently shifting the respec- 1 ipping means to release the horn neans ililQi'QfiOlll, and means for aually returning the horns to car en- 11,3; positions when released.

5. The combination \v'th a cage platform and front and rear horns movably mounted thereon, of separate tripping means in the path of the platform means for holding: the tripping; means normally in operative positions, separate means carried by the pla form and cooperating; with the respec ive tripping; means when in norma position for shifting the front and rear horns respectively out of active positions, and separate means operated by a car moving onto the platform for successively movingthe tripping means out of normal positions and successively releasing; the horns. and means for automatically returning the released horns to operative positions.

6. The combination with a cage platform and front rear horns movably connected thereto, of yieldingly held tripping devices in the path of the platform, separate means movable with the platform for engagement with the respective tripping; devices to shift the horns out of normal positions, means for returning; the horns automatically to normal positions when released, separate depressible members on the plat form for engagement by wheels of a car on.

the platform. and separate means operated by the respective depressible members for shifting the tripp' de ices to release the horns.

7. The combination with a cage platform and yieldingly held horns movably mounted thereon and normally positioned for engagement with a car on the platform, of separate means for automatically shifting:

the horns out of their normal positions when the pla form is brought to car releasing position, and means operated successively by acar moving; along the platform. for successively releasing the shifted front and rear horns.

8. The combination with a cage platform and yieldingly held horns movably mounted releasingmeans.

9. The combination with a cage platform and horns movably mounted thereon for enogagrernent with a car on the platform, of a tripping member, means on the platform and movable against the tripping member to shift the horns to car releasing positions, a push rod movable with the platform and movable against and adapted to be shifted out of normal position by the tripping memher when the platform is brought to car releasing position means operating during the delivery of a car from the platform for automatically setting; the push rod in position to thrust against the tripping member, and means operated by the movement of a car onto the platform for actuating the push rod to shift the tripping member out of operative relation with the horns and release the horns to car engaging positions.

10 The combination with a cage platform and yieldingly held horns movably mounted thereon and normally positioned for engagement with a car on the platform, of separate, independently operated means for automatically shifting the respective horns out of their normal position when the platform is brought to car releasing position, independently operated, means actuated by a car movingonto the platform for releasing the respective shifted horns, means released by the delivery of a car from the platform for releasing: the shifted horns, and means released by the delivery of a car from theplatform for resetting said horn releasing means. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL LEPLEY.

Witnesses W. H. SoIssoN, CnAs. L. BAER. 

